Search - Igor Stravinsky, Antal Dorati, Detroit Symphony Orchestra :: Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps; L'Oiseau de feu

Great Classical Music Making From The Motor City

Erik North | San Gabriel, CA USA | 02/18/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Detroit is known for being the automotive capitol of the world, as well as the home of the Motown sound in pop music. But it also has one of the great orchestras in the nation, as well--the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. This recent Penguin Classics reissue of an early 1980s London release by this orchestra and its then music director Antal Dorati is great proof of that.Dorati is one of three conductors the Detroit Symphony has had in its history that have given the orchestra world-class status, the other two being Paul Paray (1951-1963), and current director Neeme Jarvi (1990-present). This CD spotlights the two most significant ballets--"The Firebird" and "The Rite Of Spring"--by one of the 20th century's most important composers, Igor Stravinsky, and demonstrates the versatility and power of of the classical side of the Motor City. Dorati's interpretations of Stravinsky's scores are first-rate all the way, with an appropriately fiery conclusion to "The Firebird" and a typically savage performance of "The Rite Of Spring." Clocking in at just over seventy-seven minutes, this CD is more than worth a listen, especially for 20th century music fans and Stravinsky lovers in particular."

2.5 stars...The Rite is supposed to be **barbaric**

John Grabowski | USA | 07/05/2003

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Dorati forgot that. This is a very well-recorded reading (I've heard some inner lines I've never been able to pick out in performances before) but the sum total is blandness. Attacks are not to the maximum--tremolos are lazy, trills are slow, there's no tension. Tempi are brisk, but the musicians are not giving their all, shredding their bows, bending their reeds. And for some reason, the trombones in The Firebird keep entering sharp. I'm not surprised the Penguin critical board picked this as their ideal disc. Committees always go for clear-sounding but bland performances. (See my review of Zayas' Chopin Etudes.) When you look at some of the other choices in this series you realize they're aiming for uncontroversial middle-of-the-road. But that's hardly what Stravinsky and Diaghilev were aiming for. For the Rite, Monteux, Bernstein, Markevich, Stravinsky himself and even Boulez are far more interesting. For the Firebird, it's hard to top Stokowski's 1969 reading for Decca, though he takes some liberties with both cuts and orchestrations (surprise!). As for this disc, it's like an orchestra playing polo rather than wrestling with one of the most savage works in the repertoire. The Parisians of 1913 would have fallen asleep rather than rioted if they'd heard it this way."